Storms Clobber Area - Tornado Stikes Nappanee

Last night’s severe weather hit Nappanee in a big way. "All the roads coming into Nappanee are closed – State Road 19 and U.S. 6.," a Nappanee Police Department dispatcher told The New Q101 early this morning. "At this time, the city’s just shut down. We have no power, our water supply is low. I know there are search teams going out into the neighborhoods. We have injuries, and they were transported to area hospitals, but we don’t have a count at this time."

Lonnie Fischer, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service office in North Webster says the agency will send out a survey team today but they're confident that a tornado struck. "It sounds like a tornado did track through there – a lot of reports of damage an injuries," Fischer said. "Last night there were reports of some people being trapped in some of the structures that were damaged or destroyed. We do have numerous reports people seeing an actual tornado."

The storm also hit the northwestern part of Kosciusko County. Because of the debris it left behind, the Sheriff’s Department closed several roads:

• Hepton Road from State Rd. 19 to 1000W.
• 1100N from 1000W to the Marshall County Line.
• 1350N from State Rd 19 and 1000W.
• 1200N between 900N and 1000N.

The Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Department is asking you to stay away from the northwestern part of the county. Police intend to write citations if they catch any motorists going around barricades.

Elsewhere last night, the National Weather Services says a trained weather spotter reported a possible tornado near the southeastern Kosciusko County town of Sidney. Another trained spotter reported a two-foot-diameter tree across State Road 15 one mile south of Leesburg. And the Whitley County Emergency Management Agency reported that a tree fell on the roof of a home in Columbia City causing minor damage and an eight-inch-diameter tree was across power lines five miles north of Columbia City.